Third Download 2018 headliner announced

Joining Ozzy Osbourne and Avenged Sevenfold as a bill-topper at Donington next year are Guns N’ Roses.

Download Festival has today announced its final headliner as the legendary Guns N’ Roses, alongside the previously announced Ozzy Osbourne, and Avenged Sevenfold. The three day festival takes place 8 – 10 June 2018 at the spiritual home of rock in Donington Park, Leicestershire. Tickets are on sale now at downloadfestival.co.uk/tickets.

On the road since April 2016 and over 100 shows later, the resurgent Guns N’ Roses are back and coming to Download Festival. Reuniting last year for the first time since 1993, the inimitable Axl Rose, guitar legend Slash and original bassist Duff McKagan, plus Dizzy Reed, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer and Melissa Reese, have been blowing audiences away worldwide on the aptly named Not In This Lifetime Tour, and will stop by Donington on the Saturday night for their first UK Festival appearance of the classic line up on legendary form after selling 1 million tickets across Europe in 2017 alone.

Following the group’s 1985 formation, Guns N’ Roses injected unbridled, unrivalled, and unstoppable attitude into the burgeoning Los Angeles rock scene. The spirit went on to captivate the entire world with the release of their 1987 debut Appetite for Destruction, the best-selling U.S. debut ever, moving 30 million copies globally. In 1991, the seven-time platinum Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II occupied the top two spots of the Billboard Top 200 upon release. Over the course of the past decade, Guns N’ Roses have performed sold out shows and headlined festivals worldwide following the critically acclaimed release of 2008’s RIAA platinum-certified Chinese Democracy. Six studio albums later, Guns N’ Roses are one of the most important and influential acts in music history and continue to set the benchmark for live performances connecting with millions of fans across the globe.

Download Festival’s Promoter, Andy Copping said:

It’s great to have this iconic line up of Guns N’ Roses headlining at Download. I am sure I am not alone when I say I have been wanting this to happen for years. It will be an incredible show and will be one of the highlights of the Download weekend!

Earlier this week Download Festival revealed that The Prince Of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne will be headlining the Sunday night and one of the world’s biggest rock bands Avenged Sevenfold will be headlining the Friday night. Guns N’ Roses complete the 2018 line up and will headline the Saturday night.

Download Festival is the home of rock music and takes place on the sacred grounds of Donington Park, which have been associated with rock since the eighties. The festival attracts icons of rock to its main stage, plus some of the best and hottest new acts in the world. AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, Black Sabbath, The Prodigy, Rage Against The Machine, Slipknot, Linkin Park and many more have all headlined its main stage.